Trapped by Tradition
by Emberclaw2013
Summary: For years LightClan have followed the Traditions set down by their ancestors along with the other five Clans. Toms protected the Clan and She-cats bore as many kits as possible. Training was tough, over-riding their instincts with an un-natural drive to obey their leader at all costs. Until Ebonykit was born. She saw flaws in the 'perfect' Traditions, and determined to change them.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I own... nothing.

I hope you enjoy and feel motivated to review!

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**Prologue**

The sun was just setting as the first pained yowl disrupted the otherwise peaceful air that hung in the contented camp. A dusky brown she-cat with black spots immediately emerged with a few leaves in her jaws from behind a boulder, trotting across the camp just as the second yowl rang out. The few other cats that lay in small groups of twos or fours watched the she-cat with open interest in their eyes and their ears pricked, as if awaiting a decision or command.

When the she-cat managed to deposit her herbs on the ground inside the large, enclosed space known as the Birth Nursery, she murmured words of comfort to the other she-cat who was gasping in pain as another tremor struck her body.

"You've done this twice before, Ambertail, it should not be as hard as the first time," the dusky she-cat pointed out, feeding the pale ginger Queen a fuzzy leaf. The she-cat, so named for her darker ginger tail, nodded her thanks.

"You are right Spotberry, Ambertail should not find this birth so hard," came the voice of a third she-cat, her yellow eves luminous in the darkness of the den. There was a question hidden deep in her words and when Spotberry returned her gaze to the Queen lying before her, she thanked StarClan that Ambertail had not heard it.

When Spotberry gave no reply, the other she-cat pressed harder, "This is her _third_ litter, after all, and her Match is not here."

"Breathe deeply," Spotberry told Ambertail before finally looking up again. "Knarlfur, please come here. I will need help when the kits arrive," she meowed, ignoring Knarlfur's previous sly remark.

At last all three of the kits were out and Ambertail was resting her head on her paws, her flanks heaving with effort. _All three,_ Spotberry thought worriedly. That did not bode well.

Knarlfur returned the kits she had been licking to its mother's side. "All three of them are beautiful kits," she commented to Spotberry, with a slight emphasis on the word 'three'.

"Indeed. I must inform Swirlstar," Spotberry meowed, dipping her head respectfully to both queens. "Knarlfur, perhaps you could give Ambertail the rest of the herbs when she is strong enough to eat them?"

"But of course," Knarlfur purred, returning to her own nest but keeping an eye on the other Queen.

When Spotberry re-entered the clearing, Swirlstar was already waiting for her, his eyes reflecting the grey sky above them. "Well?" he asked, his tail twitching.

Spotberry dipped her head to him before replying, "Ambertail's third litter of three kits is healthy and all four cats will be perfectly fine."

Swirlstar's eyes darkened. "A litter of three?"

"A litter of three," Spotberry confirmed, her eyes not betraying the internal worry she felt.

"What has StarClan had to say?" Swirlstar asked her, urgency in his mew.

Spotberry glanced up at the cloudy sky. "StarClan has warned me that trouble is coming, and have been warning me since Ambertail first announced that her third litter was on the way." Swirlstar nodded impatiently; he already knew that. "And the signs… The signs are all bad. It is Ambertail's third litter. She has three kits. Her match is out hunting and not by her side. The gathering storm clouds, and many more insignificant things that have gone wrong," Spotberry meowed.

"What sort of trouble does StarClan mention?" Swirlstar narrowed his eyes.

Every fibre in her body was telling her not to repeat StarClan's words, but from birth she had been trained to obey her leader whatever the situation. The training had been so intense that what she had been taught was now ingrained in her every cell and overrode even the strongest of her instincts. It was this training that made Spotberry open her mouth now to deliver the words she would always regret repeating.

"There will be a cat; the third-born in the third litter of the third-born in a third litter, who will destroy the Traditions and rule the Clans. Only by following the rules in the way of destruction can you prevent imminent danger," Spotberry meowed feeling sick – she knew what she would have to tell Swirlstar next. At least, though, she had left out the last bit StarClan had told her. Swirlstar would never suspect anything, and she had not been forced to tell him because it was what StarClan had implied in their words to her, not outright told her. Still, the act of unintentional defiance, however small, made her fur tremble.

Swirlstar was paying no attention to his medicine cat's trembling fur. He was too busy being horrified and trying to think of a solution at the same time. Finally, he looked at Spotberry. "How can we prevent this?"

"By following what will otherwise be imminently destroyed," Spotberry replied, her tail twitching in disgust at herself. With a heavy heart and a feeling of horrible denial of doing anything wrong settling in her already upset stomach, she continued, "to protect the Traditions we must follow the Traditional rule of Punishment. Attempting to destroy the Traditions is an evil action, and evil is an all-consuming desire, therefore a cat who commits an evil action is evil aside out. Evil must be destroyed before it can spread. This is what the Traditions say," she said in a dull, toneless voice.

Both cats turned to look behind them at the nursery in which they could just make out Ambertail nursing her new-born litter. Then, they glanced up at the sky, both knowing what had to be done.

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**A/N: **So this was a short prologue, but hopefully the chapters will get longer (notice the word _hopefully_).

Please review! I love feedback of all kinds (except flames, but I suppose even if someone flames then it means they have at least bothered to look at this story, so...) REVIEW!


	2. The Traditions

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Warriors.

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**Chapter One**

**~ The Traditions ~**

From her position in the clearing, the young, slightly built pale grey she cat with darker grey ear tips, tail tip, paws and muzzle with clear blue eyes pricked her ears as she heard the soft mewing of a Queen to her kits. She recognised the mew as belonging to Ambertail (her mother) and knew exactly what she was telling her newest litter of four kits. Still, she had nothing better to do so she decided to just settle down and listen to the laws of the Clans that had been branded into her fragile mind from the moment she could speak.

"Kits, listen closely. This is may be the first time you will be told these laws but certainly not the last. We call them our Traditions, and the Clans have lived by them for many, many seasons beyond counting," Ambertail was saying in a gentle voice.

"The other Clans?" one of the kits Ebonypaw recognised as Dewkit spoke up.

"WaveClan, CloudClan, EarthClan and BreezeClan," Ambertail reminded her kits.

"What about LightClan?" another kit, Sunkit, asked in a confused voice.

"We _are _LightClan, mousebrain!" a third kit, Frostkit, piped up, and a thud followed by a squeak could be heard. The she-cat crouched in the clearing guessed one of the kits had launched itself at the other and they continued scuffling until their mother told them off, and then continued speaking.

"These are our Traditions, passed down to us by our ancestors when the Clans were first created.

_#1. Kits must be apprenticed at six moons old. They must be polite, well-mannered, respectful and obedient._

_#2. Apprentices must be given same-gender mentors._

_#3. Female apprentices must learn how to make nests, how to care properly for kits, how to make a den with available materials, how to divide prey equally between her and the unknown tom she will be Matched with. Female apprentices must learn how to care for minor ails. She must also learn how to defend herself, but not how to attack or how to hunt. They learn to behave in a docile, friendly, pleasant way towards other she-cats and are polite towards all toms that are not their Match._

_#4. Male apprentices must learn how to hunt, how to fight and how to patrol borders. They must learn how to defend their future family and how to care for their future Match. They learn to show respect towards cats of a higher rank than them and to show courtesy towards she-cats who are not their Match (they show polite familiarity with their Match), but they also learn how to assume dominance over their Match. _

_#5. Once Apprentices have had their Warrior Ceremony, they have two moons adjusting to their new life status before they are Matched with a cat of the opposite gender chosen for them by the Clan leader. They have a Bonding Ceremony in which their new mate is revealed and they accept each other formally. After the Bonding Ceremony they must share the same nest in the Warriors den (until the she-cat moves to the Birth den) and live together happily as a pair._

_#6. The father must be present when his Match is giving birth._

_#7. The mother must be even tempered at all times, even while giving birth (pained yowls are allowed, but no cursing or angry words etc.)_

_#8. The litter of kits can consist of one, two, four, five kits but not three. A litter of three kits is unlucky._

_#9. She-cats are ranked within the Clan according to the number of kits they have. One kit = Level One, two kits = Level Two and so on. There are twenty levels. If a she-cat passes Level  
Twenty they are honoured by the whole Clan, even the toms, and are given privileges in the Clan like choosing the first prey from the fresh-kill pile and having an apprentice assigned to care for their every need. If the kit of a she-cat is killed (when they are still a kit or are an apprentice or even a Warrior), their mother immediately goes down a level._

_#10. Toms are ranked on their ability to catch prey, the number of cats (i.e. toms because she-cats aren't allowed to fight) they have fought and beaten, the number of kits they have with their mate and also the level their Match is._

_#11. Deputies must be male and must be above Level Fifteen. Their Match advises them but has no real power, only gains more respect from the Clan. The same is for leaders._

_#12. The leader's word is law. You must obey your leader above all else, and strive to protect your Clan leader before yourself or anyone else. In a battle, your Clan leader is your first priority – protect them before your family._

_# 13. If the deputy dies then his Match takes his place until a suitable replacement is found after which the she-cat is re-Matched if she is still young enough to bear kits, or is given an early retirement to the Elder's den._

_# 14. She-cats retire when they can no longer bear kits. Their Match retires with them unless they are the deputy/ leader or of a rank higher than fifteen, in which case they can choose when they retire._

_#15. When you are Matched, you are Matched for life unless one cat dies or if the she-cat is unable to bear kits. If the she-cat is barren then she must train as the next medicine cat. The tom will then be re-matched._

_#16. Only barren she-cats can become medicine cats and each Clan must have two full medicine cats at all times along with one or two apprentices, but the apprentices are not as vital as the full medicine cats are. Medicine cats are the lowest rank in the Clan because they are unable to bear kits, but because of their contact with StarClan they are highly respected and must be treated accordingly._

_#17. In the event of a battle, Queens stay with their kits in the Main Nursery and the other she-cats hide there with them. It is up to the toms to protect the Clan. _

_#18. The Clan leader eats first with his Match, followed by the Clan deputy and his Match. Then the highest ranking toms and she-cat eat followed by the rest of the toms. Lastly the rest of the she-cats, Queens or not, eat. Medicine cats eat the left over's if there are any._

_#19. There is a Gathering once a moon. Leaders exchange news in peace and Clan cats talk to other Clan cats politely and formally. If a leader decides to start a battle with another Clan he must have a just cause. The Clans should treat each other with polite respect when they see each other. To make friends with a cat of another clan, especially of the opposite gender, is being disloyal to your Clan and punishment will ensue. _

_#20. The number three must be avoided. There are five Clans, and cats have four legs. Birds have two legs and cats have one tail. All these numbers are natural, but not three. Cats have three of nothing; there are five of things and four of things and two of things and one of things but never three of anything. Three is unnatural and associated with evil. The third-born cat is litters of three kits will always cause problems and being on the Level Three is unlucky. The number three must be avoided at all costs. _

_#21. These Traditions have been how we survived since the Clans were first created. We live by and treasure these traditions because they have kept us alive in the darkest of times. The Traditions stand for goodness and peace, and are against evil. Evil is like a poison – once it takes hold of you it never lets go. To disobey one of the Traditions is an act of Evil and must therefore be punished by death. _

"So, kits, those are our Traditions. You must learn them, and abide by them," Ambertail finished. Not a sound was to be heard from any of the kits, and Ambertail sighed heavily. "Sleep well," she said in a low voice.

The kits may have fallen asleep, but the she-cat in the clearing had not. She was frozen in place; her limbs immobile. Every time she heard the Traditions out loud she felt horrified. Not because she thought they were wrong – to think the Traditions are wrong is evil, and even having an evil thought will be punished with death, to stop the evil disease from spreading to other cats – but because of what one of the Traditions meant for her. She was the third-born cat in a litter of three. Her littermates were all right, but she knew she was the cat all her Clanmates avoided because of her birth. It wasn't her fault, but they punished her for it anyway.

A feeling of dread formed in her stomach. _They'll never accept me here. They think I'm going to cause trouble and become infected with evil. Whatever I do to try and prove that I am perfectly normal and that the last thing I wish is to cause trouble, they ignore. Their training to obey the Traditions is stronger than any pity they feel for me, _she thought unhappily.

"Ebonypaw, what are you doing moping about by the Birth Den?" a male voice broke into her thoughts.

Ebonypaw's eyes widened. _Oops_. "I was listening to Ambertail telling her kits the Traditions," she replied truthfully after getting to her paws and lowering her head until her nose touched the ground as a gesture of deep respect for the tom who was of a much higher rank than her and also her father.

Her father blinked, satisfied. "It is good to hear the Traditions regularly. It keeps them fresh in one's mind and keeps evil at bay."

Ebonypaw nodded in agreement. "Yes," she meowed politely. At the beginning of every day she had to recite them to her mentor – every apprentice did. It was part of their training.

Ebonypaw's father glanced up at the darkening sky. "It appears there is a storm coming. You should go to your den so that you do not get wet," he told her. Ebonypaw searched his eyes for any trace of concern for her, but there was none. His eyes were simply blank, and his tone was flat. Ebonypaw's tail sunk slightly, the tip touching the ground. He did not care about her getting wet. To him, she was just another she-cat that needed to be looked after. He saw protecting her from the weather as part of his duty to his family. It was what any tom would do. _But you should __care __that I might get wet_, she thought resentfully.

Horrified by her last thought, she quickly nodded to her father again. Thinking resentfully was a small step on the path towards evil, and Ebonypaw was determined not to walk along that path.

"Thank you for your advice. It is most welcome," she mewed quickly, not hesitating to step off the path that led towards evil and step back on the good path that led towards perfection. But she did not want the conversation with her father to end just yet, so she added, "Will there be thunder?"

There was some flash of emotion in her father's eye but it was gone before Ebonypaw could identify it. "I will send one of the male apprentices along to comfort you and the other female apprentices in the event of thunder," he said that deep, rumbling voice of his that sounded both powerful and comforting at the same time.

Ebonypaw sighed inwardly. That was not the response she had been looking for – she wasn't scared of thunder and didn't need one of the male apprentices to 'comfort' her, but she was not allowed to argue with a cat of a higher rank than her, so she simply dipped her head in submission.

"Thank you, that will be much appreciated," Ebonypaw replied, making sure to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"Goldenshade asked me to tell you that you have an early start to training tomorrow," he revealed the reason he had approached her. Ebonypaw refused to think 'great, you didn't even come over here because you wanted to talk but because my mentor asked you to' and instead just thanked him with a polite smile. "It was nice talking to you, Ebonypaw. I hope you manage to get to your den before the rain starts," her father continued as if he were talking to an old acquaintance and not his daughter.

"And you, Bramblethorn," Ebonypaw responded and once again touched her nose to the ground before walking away in the direction of her den with her father's eyes following her across the clearing. She hadn't wanted to leave, but it had been a clear dismissal and the lower ranked cat _always _walked away first.

When she reached the Female Apprentice den she slipped through the protective thorns to see all of her denmates (all the female apprentices. The Male Apprentice den was on the other side of the clearing, opposite the Female Apprentice den.)

Ebonypaw's nest was the one closest to the entrance and she sat down on the fresh, springy moss with a sad sigh.

"Ebonypaw, where were you? There is a storm coming!" one of the older apprentices scolded from her nest. Ebonypaw looked up to see Featherpaw, a pretty silver tabby with pale green eyes, picking her way through the crowded den towards her.

"I know, Featherpaw; I was just listening to my mother telling my younger brothers and sisters the Traditions, that's all," Ebonypaw meowed in a level tone. All the female apprentices were of the same rank, so could be more informal with each other but not to the extent of anger or violence (at least in public).

"I'm glad, it is good to hear the Traditions regularly as well as recite them," Featherpaw nodded, not realising she was echoing Bramblethorn's words. Ebonypaw dipped her head to the older apprentice, but only slightly.

"Yes, that is what my father said."

"You were talking to Bramblethorn?" another voice piped up. Ebonypaw recognised it as belonging to Palepaw. Palepaw was the youngest female apprentice at six and a half moons, but was already friends with all of the older apprentices. Ebonypaw knew that the older female apprentices liked gossiping about toms in particular, and trying to guess who their Match would be, and that also several of them liked the look of her father. Even though Bramblethorn was twice their age, if not more, he was still extremely handsome and strong.

"Bramblethorn has a Match," Ebonypaw reminded Palepaw with a hint of sharpness.

Palepaw had now jumped out of her nest and joined Featherpaw by the side of Ebonypaw's nest. "I know, but he is just so handsome! And plus, anything might have happened to Ambertail by the time we are warriors and then Bramblethorn would be re-Matched to one of us!" she exclaimed dramatically and then sighed dreamily.

Ebonypaw scoffed. "Yeah, right. Don't be such a mousebrain Palepaw, and don't speak of things you don't understand." Ebonypaw instantly regretted her hard words. _I'm on the path to perfection, not the path to evil_, she reminded herself sharply. Palepaw looked taken aback by Ebonypaw's outburst and Ebonypaw thought she was going to get an earful from Slightpaw. Slightpaw was the oldest female apprentice and so was the 'leader' of the den. Well, she was in charge of keeping all the other female apprentices (currently there were seventeen of them) in order when there were no older cats around, and had to sort out disputes and things like that. It always fell to the oldest female apprentice whether they wanted the job or not, and they had to be obeyed. It was the same in the Male Apprentice den.

"Everyone, back to your nests," Slightpaw ordered. She had been named for her thin, slight form and often appeared frail. However, Ebonypaw had seen the strength Slightpaw possessed when they had been on acorn duty together. Slightpaw had climbed up the tree in the blink of an eye and was shaking the branches so that the acorns fell to the ground for Ebonypaw to collect with a vigour usually associated with toms. In short, Slightpaw was not to be underestimated.

Reluctantly Featherpaw and Palepaw returned to their nests as Ebonypaw waited for Slightpaw's reprimand. However, it never came. Well, it wasn't directed at her anyway.

"Palepaw, have you forgotten who you were talking to? Ebonypaw is the daughter of Bramblethorn and Ambertail. She was therefore justified in talking to you like that because you were in the wrong. Learn from this the next time you want to speak before thinking," Slightpaw meowed firmly. Palepaw ducked her head in shame.

"I am sorry, Ebonypaw," Palepaw muttered. Ebonypaw nodded in acceptance of the apology but she noticed an angry gleam in Palepaw's eyes. Palepaw hated being told off, especially in front of everyone. Luckily a distraction arrived in the form of Dustpaw: Ebonypaw's brother's best friend.

"Good day to you all," the dark brown tom meowed formally as he entered. "I heard there were some she-cats who needed protecting from the coming storm, and who am I to deny their pleas?" he added in a more playful tone.

Ebonypaw rolled her eyes. Male and female apprentices were supposed to be polite and respectful towards each other and not be familiar with each other in anyway (littermates were excluded from this rule, but a certain level of control was still required – which meant no playfighting, arguing or doing anything else that might disrupt the peaceful routine of the Clan). If a female apprentice was seen breaking this rule then they were punished, but if a male apprentice broke it the older Warriors turned a blind eye as long as the offence wasn't serious. Therefore some of the male apprentices liked to stretch the limit and acted more familiar and informal with the female apprentices than they should. Dustpaw was one of the few that did this on a regular basis.

"Dustpaw? But we didn't send for anyone," Slightpaw mewed in confusion.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry, it's my fault he's here," Ebonypaw spoke up reluctantly.

"What? Ebonypaw, you know you are not allowed to visit the male apprentices under any-" Slightpaw began, assuming Ebonypaw had asked for Dustpaw herself.

"No," Ebonypaw interrupted quickly. "I asked my father if thunder would come with the storm and he said he would send a male apprentice to keep us company just in case," she corrected.

Slightpaw nodded. "Ah, okay. Well in that case Dustpaw, please make yourself comfortable."

Dustpaw grinned. "I will."

"Hey, Dustpaw, would you like to come and tell me and the others about that fox you helped chase off our territory yesterday?" Palepaw piped up. All of her friends (all of the older female apprentices) pricked up their ears eagerly.

"Maybe later," Dustpaw promised, chuckling at their crestfallen faces. "First, I want to catch up with my best friend's favourite sister." Too late, Ebonypaw (who had curled up in her nest while he was talking to Slightpaw) realised what he was going to do.

"Foxdung!" she cursed under her breath, forgetting all about staying on the path to perfection. Out loud, she said, "I'm Stonepaw's _only_ sister, mousebrain." She pushed Dustpaw away with her paws as he sat down right next to her nest but he ignored her. She glanced at Slightpaw to see if she would be reprimanded for her language (mousebrain, nor Foxdung. If Slightpaw had heard her say 'Foxdung' then she would have been in deep trouble) but Slightpaw was watching Dustpaw. When the tom didn't seem offended, Slightpaw just shrugged and returned to her conversation with one of the more sensible she-cats, Rosepaw.

"So that makes you his favourite sister by default," Dustpaw replied cheerily.

Ebonypaw sighed grudgingly and decided not to pass up on this chance to find out how her brothers were doing. With their training schedules being so different and not being allowed to visit each other's dens, she didn't get to see them as much as she would have liked.

"How are Stonepaw and Ashpaw?" Ebonypaw asked him in a low voice, not wanting the other cats to eavesdrop on their conversation but knowing that they would.

Dustpaw's deep green eyes gleamed. "Oh, they're fine. Just the other day we were all playing tag up by the river and..." Ebonypaw let his voice fade into the background as he told the story. Most of the other female apprentices in the den were listening now and he was in his element, telling them all about his antics with Stonepaw and Ashpaw. He was a moon older than them but was often thought to be the same age by cats who didn't know them.

Ebonypaw thought about how restrictive the Traditions really were. They only allowed cats of the same gender to interact with each other apart from Matches, and even with your littermate you couldn't be yourself, not really. There was always someone watching and waiting for you to slip up. Sure, some of the male apprentices stretched the rules but they didn't disobey them. Dustpaw was sitting next to her nest, not inside it with her like she knew he would like to. In a brotherly way, of course. He was like her brother in many ways, always looking out for her like Stonepaw and Ashpaw did.

Ebonypaw thought about the storm that had broken and was now pouring down over the LightClan camp. The Traditions were like a constant storm over Clan life; restricting them and rewarding them with a strike of lightning if they didn't toe the line.

Then, Ebonypaw had to reprimand herself for thinking such thoughts. If she ever wanted to be accepted then she had to keep app four paws firmly planted don the path that led towards perfection. The path that led towards evil was easy and the path to perfection was hard, but she was determined to try. She was determined to try and be perfect.

Closing her eyes, she drifted into sleep with the sound of Dustpaw's voice and the rain and occasional thundering outside lulling her deeper and deeper into unconsciousness.

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**A/N****_:_**Originally this was literally just going to be Ebonypaw listening to her mother telling her newest litter of kits the Traditions but the words kind of just flowed from under my fingers. I was glued to my computer desk for a whole afternoon writing this and now my fingers are stiff...

This was a loooooot longer than I had origionally planned, so maybe you would reward me with a review? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Are there any changes you want to suggest I make to improve it? Was the chapter too long? Did it get boring towards the end? Did you notice any typo's I need to correct?

Please review!


	3. A Bad Day

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Warriors, only the plot and all of the characters except for Eagleheart who was the creation of Cloverstar-Of-Stormclam.

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**Chapter Two**

**~ A Bad Day ~**

"Everyone up," Slightpaw's voice cut through Ebonypaw's dream about stalking a plump mouse. Ebonypaw jerked awake, alarmed. Her fur was on edge and she felt a tingly feeling run down her spine. She knew she should not have been dreaming about stalking mice. It was irrational, irrelevant and irresponsible. She felt bad all the way to the paws when she realised she had committed the three 'I's' by dreaming about that plump mouse. Shuddering, Ebonypaw tried to push the thought to the back of her mind. Committing the three I's was an evil action. She knew she had to do something good, and quickly, so she could step back on the path to perfection.

The next thing Ebonypaw became aware of drove the dream from her mind. Sprawled mostly on top of her was a brown apprentice. A brown _tom_.

"Dustpaw!" she yelped like she had once heard a dog yelp when it had gotten caught in some brambles just outside LightClan's territory.

"Mmm?" he mumbled sleepily and rolled over, nearly squashing her.

Ebonypaw gasped in horror. Dustpaw must have fallen asleep next to her nest last night and somehow moved so much in his sleep that he ended up _in _the nest with her. "Dustpaw, quick, you have to move," she hissed anxiously in his ear, terrified in case someone discovered him there. If any of the other female apprentices saw him... or if, StarClan forbid, a w_arrior_ saw him there – it would not bear thinking about.

"Go 'way, 'm tired," the brown tom flicked his tail lazily. Ebonypaw was getting desperate now, and so she did the only thing she could think of. She did the unspeakable: she bit him.

"Yoww-mmph!" she quickly muffled Dustpaw's yowl of pain with her tail, slapping it over his mouth. It had not been a hard bite; just a gently nip to his ear, but he was acting like she had clawed his eyes out as he struggled wildly. Against her will, Ebonypaw wriggled until she was on top of him, pinning him down.

"Shh, it's me you mousebrain – Ebonypaw," she told him in a low voice, extremely aware to the yawns of the other female apprentices that meant they were all waking up.

Dustpaw's flailing limbs stilled as his deep green eyes widened, staring up into Ebonypaw's clear blue one's. "Oh," he managed in shock.

"Oh," Ebonypaw agreed. For a moment, they stayed frozen like that, staring at each other. Then the sound of Slightpaw going from nest to nest making sure all the apprentices were awake kicked  
Ebonypaw into action, and she suddenly nudged Dustpaw firmly with her nose."Quick, get out of here before they discover you," she urged.

"But, I-" Dustpaw began to protest but Ebonypaw shook her head. The urgency in her eyes must have alarmed him, for he then scrambled to his paws and clumsily exited the apprentice den.

As Ebonypaw watched his tail whip out of sight, she felt a surge of relief. None of the other apprentices had seen anything. Glancing back at her denmates, she smiled to herself. None of them really liked mornings, and for once she was glad.

"Ebonypaw, don't you have to start your training early this morning?" Rosepaw's familiar mew made the young pale gray she-cat with darker points jump.

Ebonypaw turned to face her older denmate with an innocent expression fixed on her face. "Oh – yes, thank you for reminding me," she meowed politely and then quickly made her way out of the den.

The moment she emerged into the dawn light she heard her brother, Stonepaw, calling her name.

"Good morning Stonepaw?" she greeted him with a slight question in her voice. He didn't usually greet her in the mornings.

"Ebonypaw. Morning," he said once he reached her, inclining his dark gray head before looking at her expectantly. Ebonypaw blinked in surprise. Why was he being so formal? She decided to go along with him, however, because she did not want to get into trouble if another cat saw her question him. She dipped her head lower that he had dipped his, so that her nose was level with the bottom of her chest. It was respectful but not as respectful as the gesture she had made to Bramblethorn the day before, because they were both apprentices but her was still a tom. Therefore, she had to pay him more respect than he did her.

Ebonypaw couldn't help but notice the lack of 'good' in his sentence and did not hesitate to comment. "Is everything okay?"

Stonepaw took a deep breath in and then released it with a puff of air. "I must talk with you," her brother began. He did not get much further, for Ebonypaw's mentor called her name from across the clearing.

"I am sorry but I must go. We can talk over the evening meal," Ebonypaw suggested, curious as to why he was acting so strangely. Stonepaw looked about to disagree but at the last moment just nodded. Ebonypaw dipped her head once more and then padded over to Goldenshade.

"I see you've been practising," the golden-striped tabby she-cat nodded approvingly after the formalities between mentor and apprentice had been exchanged.

Ebonypaw smiled slightly. "Not really. I simply have a great mentor," she replied. It was true; she had needed to practise the proper way for a she-cat to walk only once after Goldenshade had showed her how it was done before she had learnt it. It was now fixed into her brain.

Goldenshade nodded approvingly once more. Humility and humbleness were traits encouraged and admired in she-cats. "Good. I have asked you to meet me so early because today we are going to work on your defensive moves," she said. Her sharp amber eyes did not miss the way Ebonypaw's tail lifted and her eyes brightened, however much the young she cat tried to hide her unbecoming excitement. Toms and she-cats never trained together, apart from defensive training which every cat, regardless of gender or rank, had to learn.

"Yes, Goldenshade," Ebonypaw replied calmly. To any other cat, she would have looked like a dutiful apprentice agreeing sensibly with her mentor's plan for the day – however Goldenshade knew the young cat better than perhaps any other cat, even Ambertail. Goldenshade was even more pleased with her apprentice at that moment in time, because she had managed to conceal her excitement effectively (just not from her). Excitement was not a welcome emotion in she-cats, and Goldenshade would hate for Ebonypaw to be punished more than was needed.

But Goldenshade said nothing, simply motioning for Ebonypaw to follow her out of camp.

"Goldenshade, where might you be going?" Ravenpelt, a black-pelted tom who was currently guarding the camp entrance, asked her after inclining his head slightly to her and completely ignoring Ebonypaw.

Goldenshade, in return, dipped her head only slightly lower than he had – she currently had eight kits (two litters of two and a litter of four) and matched his rank, however because he was the tom she still had to pay him more respect whether they were the same rank or not.

"I am taking my apprentice to meet with Eagleheart and his apprentice in the Defence Hollow," Goldenshade replied in a respectful tone.

"I see," Ravenpelt nodded slowly, his blue eyes not leaving her amber ones. Ebonypaw remembered one of the elders once mentioning that Ravenpelt had asked Swirlstar if he could be Matched with Goldenshade as they were the same age and were on friendly terms with each other (and apparently he really, really liked her) but the leader had refused. Swirlstar had decided that the two were not suited to each other and had gone on to match Goldenshade with Flamepool and Ravenpelt with Snowtail.

"May we continue?" Goldenshade asked him in a slightly forced but polite tone. Ebonypaw's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked between the two. Did Goldenshade still have (deeply hidden) feelings for the handsome tom? Scolding herself, she told herself that it was not her place to think those thoughts and that she was probably only imagining things. She did, after all, appear to be having a bad day; what with her dream and Dustpaw and now this, she resigned herself that today was going to be one of her worse days for treading the path to perfection and she was going to have to concentrate much harder.

Ravenpelt's answer brought Ebonypaw out of her thoughts quickly: "You need an escort. I will call Frondfur to take over guard duty and I will take you to Eagleheart, juts to make sure that you will come to no harm," he decided.

Ebonypaw saw Goldenshade roll her eyes slightly when Ravenpelt wasn't looking. Just because they were she-cats, it did not mean they were helpless. Besides, what did he think would happen to them in the middle of LightClan's territory? But Ebonypaw firmly suppressed these thoughts and obediently followed her mentor and Ravenpelt out of camp.

* * *

When they reached the Defence Training Hollow, Eagleheart was already waiting for them. Ebonypaw found herself watching Ravenpelt as he nodded abruptly to Eagleheart and turned to leave without a word. He had said nothing as he walked next to Goldenshade the whole way with a respectable distance in between them. Ebonypaw had trailed behind them. Usually she would be reciting the Traditions to her mentor, but not today. _Yep, this is definitely a bad day for me_, she thoughts resigenedly.

"Goldenshade, Ebonypaw," Eagleheart greeted them and they returned his greeting formally in their turn. "I apologise but my apprentice is not here yet. He is not usually late," the older warrior frowned slightly.

Ebonypaw glanced up at Goldenshade in confusion, and then at Eagleheart. "Forgive me Eagleheart, but may I have the pleasure of knowing who your apprentice is?" she asked as politely as she could. Female apprentices really should not speak unless spoken to.

Eagleheart glanced at her sharply but nodded after a brief hesitation. Before he could answer, though, an all too familiar voice greeted them all cheerfully.

"Good morning Eagleheart, sorry I'm late. Oh, are we training with she-cats today?" Dustpaw exclaimed in surprise as he bounded over the ridge, stopping short at the sight of Goldenshade and Ebonypaw.

Ebonypaw widened her eyes in horror before quickly averting her eyes. _This really is not my day_, she thought again, resigning herself to a day following the path of evil (or, as she preferred to think of it, a day wandering close but not on the path to perfection).

* * *

It had gone sunhigh when Eagleheart finally called a halt. The sun had began to set in the sky and all four cats were feeling tired from a long day of excessive training. Until then, Eagleheart and Goldenshade had demonstrated certain moves (always with Eagleheart attacking and Goldenshade defending) and the two apprentices would copy them, with Dustpaw 'attacking' Ebonypaw.

"Phew, that was great," Dustpaw sighed contentedly as he sat up and began to wash the dust from his pelt. Ebonypaw eyes him critically while the warriors discussed the day's work.

"Great? Yes, I suppose it was," Ebonypaw agreed rather smugly. Her tone did not go unnoticed by Dustpaw, who paused in his washing.

"Hey! Just because you _barely_ managed to fend off a f_ew_ of my attacks, it does not give you the right to gloat," Dustpaw growled at her, but his eyes were teasing, showing that he didn't mean the statement seriously.

Ebonypaw, more relaxed after a day of working with him, just twitched an ear. "You only got through my defence once," she reminded him, "and even that was only because you tripped on your own paws and bundled into me in a completely un-warrior-like way."

"Heh, you should have been prepared for my secret technique," Dustpaw shrugged, resuming his washing.

"Special technique?" Ebonypaw snorted. "More like a crash course in how _not_ to attack a cat. I could have still beaten you easily."

Dustpaw raised his eyes to meet hers, a challenge lingering in their depths. "Want to bet?" he crouched down in an offensive position but before he could spring, his mentor blocked his path.

"Training is over for the day," Eagleheart reminded him with a sharp half-glare over his shoulder at Ebonypaw as Goldenshade looked on, her expression carefully blank. "If you are rested, then it is time to return to camp."

The warrior padded away with Goldenshade and they resumed their conversation as they led the apprentices towards the LightClan camp.

"What was that about?" Dustpaw mused as he padded back next to Ebonypaw, but the she-cat did not look up from where she had her gaze fixed on the ground under her paws. "...Ebonypaw?" he asked, confused when she did not answer.

"I am sorry," Ebonypaw murmured in so low a voice that the brown tom wondered if he had heard it at all.

"Sorry for what?" Dustpaw was even more confused now. Ebonypaw's shoulders were hunched and she sounded thoroughly subdued.

"I am sorry for getting you into trouble and forgetting my place. I should not have been so bold as to tease you. You are right, my defences were weak and your attacks were strong. I was foolish to believe that if it had been a real fight I would have had even the slightest chance," Ebonypaw explained quietly. Her mouth barely moved with each word.

Realisation shone in Dustpaw's eyes. "It wasn't your fault. Eagleheart is always scolding me, it was nothing new. And your defences really were strong. Seriously, I was giving it my all and I still couldn't best you. Where in the name of StarClan did you learn all that?" he asked in wonder, hoping his praise of her might make her feel better.

The bad feeling in Ebonypaw's stomach did not abate, however; in fact it worsened with dread. She knew that she had been bad, and that she would be punished tonight. "When you are constantly being punished, you learn how to dodge and block blows," she whispered, her eyes wide with horror.

Dustpaw's eyes were pools of compassion as he looked upon his fellow apprentice. "It can't be that bad... can it? I mean, I'm sure that they are, erm, punishing you for... for... for... for a good reason?" he finished lamely. He never had been good at comforting other cats.

Ebonypaw stopped in her tracks, whipping her head up to glare at him. "No. You don't understand. They are punishing me because I am bad. I have been nearly infected with evil several times. Only the beatings can bring me back down to earth. Only the punishments save me from the disease. I am a bad, bad cat, Dustpaw. You should not come near me, for your own sake."

Ebonypaw's eyes blazed with anger mixed with sorrow as she turned to run after the older cats.

Dustpaw was left staring after her in shock. He knew she wasn't bad. Ebonypaw was extremely respectful and helpful, and a fast learner (or so he had gathered from their training session earlier that day). She never broke the rules and spoke to any toms that were not her brothers unless there was need to or they spoke to her (like he had spoken to her the night before). She was dutiful and always obeyed her elders. In fact, Dustpaw could not imagine a cat more suited to Clan life and following the Traditions than Ebonypaw. So why did she think she was bad? And what was she punished for?

Dustpaw shook his head to clear it. He needed to talk with Stonepaw and Ashpaw. He set off after the warriors and Ebonypaw at a fast trot, determined to clear up the mystery once and for all.

* * *

**A/N: **So, here is Chapter Two - please review and let me know what you think!

I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and/or followed, it means a lot to me.

The more reviews I get, the more likely I am to start writing Chapter Three ASAP.


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